Whats new in Microsoft 365 | August Updates

Key insights

• CloudCapsule automates Microsoft 365 security assessments against the CIS Controls.
  It streamlines tenant reviews to a trusted standard and offers a free assessment option for teams that want a quick security baseline.
  
• Teams: Countdown timer and Organizer Controls improve meeting management.
  The timer (up to 100 minutes) helps keep meetings on schedule, and the new organizer toolbar consolidates management features and adds advanced protection options for Premium users. Rollout runs from late September into October 2025.
  
• Outlook mobile changes aim to reduce mistakes and boost compliance.
  The Send button moves to the top to prevent accidental sends (Sep 2025–Mar 2026). Mobile Outlook will show DLP policy tips and enforce rules to avoid data leaks (Aug–Sep 2025). The new Outlook for Windows adds reusable email templates (Oct–Nov 2025).
  
• Intune updates add precise control and safer device setup.
  App Control is GA with granular targeting, Autopilot can patch devices during setup so endpoints arrive up to date, and multiple administrator approval now protects critical role and device actions to reduce accidental outages.
  
• Microsoft 365 Copilot gets major AI and productivity upgrades with GPT-5 rolling into Copilot Chat.
  New features include a Dynamic Document Snapshot in Word, Immersive Search in Outlook that surfaces Copilot summaries, Gen AI Create tools for all Copilot Chat users, SharePoint agents for @mentions in Teams channels, and Teams Copilot defaulting to no transcription with persistent conversation history (rolling through mid–late 2025).
  
• Admin & security improvements strengthen posture and domain control.
  Defender for Identity adds new Secure Score recommendations (for example, removing inactive service accounts and discovered AD passwords). Teams can now use the Tenant Allow/Block List to block domains across chats, meetings, and channels, with audit logging for compliance (mid–late 2025).
  

Video summary and context

In a recent YouTube video and accompanying blog post, Nick Ross [MVP] (T-Minus365) walks viewers through the August updates for Microsoft 365, highlighting a mix of feature rollouts, security improvements, and administrative controls. He opens by introducing CloudCapsule, a tool he developed to automate security assessments mapped to the CIS Controls, and explains why such automation matters for large tenants. Moreover, Ross frames the updates as part of a continuous effort to balance productivity enhancements with tighter security and compliance controls.

Consequently, the video reads as both a product briefing and a practical guide for IT teams planning their next quarter. Ross timestamps several releases and notes staggered rollouts that organizations should track. In particular, he points out how timing changes and phased deployments affect planning and testing windows for administrators.

Microsoft Teams: meeting efficiency and organizer controls

Ross highlights new meeting features in Microsoft Teams, including a visual countdown timer that participants can add to manage time, and a consolidated Organizer Controls menu in the meeting toolbar. He explains that these changes aim to reduce friction and keep meetings on schedule, while also making key controls easier to find for organizers and co-organizers. However, he cautions that user adoption depends on clear communication and training, since adding visible tools can create distraction if teams do not align on etiquette.

Additionally, Ross discusses the shift in Teams Copilot behavior where Copilot without transcription becomes the default for new meetings and conversation history now persists during meetings. This change reduces automatic recordings, which can mitigate privacy concerns, yet it also limits searchable transcripts for teams that rely on verbatim records. As a result, organizations must weigh privacy and compliance needs against the convenience of automatic transcripts and plan their Copilot settings accordingly.

Outlook mobile and templates: reducing mistakes and improving consistency

On the Outlook front, Ross notes a small but meaningful interface change: the Send button on iOS and Android will move to the top header to reduce accidental sends. He underscores that such design tweaks often prevent common user errors, though they require a short adjustment period and clear user communication. In parallel, Outlook Mobile gains Data Loss Prevention (DLP) policy tips and enforcement, aligning mobile behavior with desktop and web versions and helping to prevent data leaks on the go.

Furthermore, Ross covers the addition of email templates in the new Outlook for Windows and Outlook for the Web, with support for importing existing .oft templates. He argues that this feature improves consistency for business communications and saves time for power users, while noting that centralized governance of templates remains a challenge for large organizations. Therefore, teams should plan template ownership and revision workflows to avoid stale or inconsistent content across departments.

Intune and administration: tighter controls and safer device on-boarding

Ross examines several Microsoft Intune updates that emphasize control and resilience. Notably, App Control for Business now supports more granular targeting of policies rather than tenant-wide settings, which helps IT teams apply measures where they matter most. He explains that granular targeting reduces collateral impact on users but increases policy complexity, requiring robust testing and clear group definitions.

In addition, Windows Autopilot can now patch devices during initial setup so devices ship with critical updates applied, minimizing early disruptions. Ross notes the obvious benefit for security, while warning that on-first-boot updates could lengthen provisioning time and require bandwidth planning. Lastly, Intune adds multiple administrator approval for sensitive actions, which hardens operations against accidental or malicious changes but also introduces a potential slowdown in urgent response scenarios.

Copilot and AI: capability gains with governance tradeoffs

Perhaps the most impactful news centers on Microsoft Copilot and the rollout of GPT-5 into Copilot Chat. Ross describes how GPT-5’s routing logic selects lighter models for quick replies and deeper models for complex tasks, improving both responsiveness and reasoning. He stresses that AI power brings productivity gains, yet it also raises governance questions about data residency, hallucinations, and the auditability of model outputs.

Moreover, Copilot is expanding features such as dynamic document snapshots in Word, immersive search integrations across Outlook, and SharePoint agents in Teams channels for quick knowledge access. While these capabilities speed discovery and content creation, Ross advises that organizations must invest in guardrails, monitoring, and user training. Ultimately, he argues, balancing innovation with security and compliance will remain the core challenge for IT leaders adopting these tools.

Keywords

Microsoft 365 August updates, Microsoft 365 new features August 2025, Microsoft Teams August update, OneDrive August updates, SharePoint August features, Microsoft 365 security updates August, Microsoft Copilot updates August, Office 365 August release notes